Precedent-Setting Edition

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In The Media

Precedent-Setting Edition

The presidential transition has raised a variety of questions regarding the future of U.S. foreign policy. In an Bloggingheads debate with Robert Wright of the New America Foundation, Robert Kagan expressed his views and reaffirmed his belief that the power of nations—rather than international legal principles—must still play the defining role in shaping international relations.

By Robert Kagan

Published on Nov 25, 2008

Source: Bloggingheads.tv

The presidential transition has raised a variety of questions, particularly regarding the future of U.S. foreign policy. In a spirited Bloggingheads debate with Robert Wright of the New America Foundation, Robert Kagan expressed his views on many of these issues and reaffirmed his belief that the power of nations—rather than international legal principles—still plays the defining role in shaping international relations.

Kagan highlighted his pragmatic viewpoint and praised Hillary Clinton, the presumptive nominee for Secretary of State, for her similar pragmatism. Debating the role of the United Nations Security Council and other international decision-making frameworks, Kagan maintained that nations tend to pursue their national interest, as the Russian example has shown. The U.S., therefore, must be realistic in its expectations for international cooperation as the president-elect begins to define his foreign policy goals.

Click here to watch the discussion.

About the Author

Robert Kagan

Former Senior Associate

Kagan, author of the recent book, The Return of History and the End of Dreams (Knopf 2008), writes a monthly column on world affairs for the Washington Post and is a contributing editor at both the Weekly Standard and the New Republic.

Recent Work

In The Media
Why Egypt Has To Be The U.S. Priority In The Middle East
- Michele Dunne, Robert Kagan
Commentary
U.S. Policy Toward Egypt—A Primer on the Upcoming Elections
- Robert Kagan, Michele Dunne

Political Reform Security Foreign Policy North America United States Caucasus Russia Eastern Europe

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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Precedent-Setting Edition